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Durban environmental activist Melanie Sember is excited about joining a team that will be teaching communities all along the west coast of Africa about damage caused by pollution and other activities on the oceans.

The Oceans campaign by Greenpeace aims to create awareness on over-fishing, off-shore drilling, illegal fishing and other activities that are damaging the environment.

Samber and the team are also tasked with appealing to governments of different countries to sign a global treaty that aims to protect the waters.

The only member from KwaZulu-Natal said with international waters not being protected by a particular country, it became easy for people and companies to exploit them.

“We are hoping to raise awareness and to get a lot of support for the global treaty.

“This is important because we get a lot of our oxygen from the ocean,” said Sember.

She said plastic pollution currently overwhelming the ocean was“insane” as it had also been found in remote areas of the Arctic.

Sember will be on the Greenpeace’s Arctic Sunrise ship when it leaves Dakar, Senegal, on September 15. She said they expected to arrive in Cape Town sometime in October.

The environment enthusiast said she had always followed the movements of Greenpeace and wanted to be part of it.

Her urge to do something about issues she felt strongly about had pushed her to join the organisation three years ago.

She said being part of the Greenpeace team was a dream come true and it helped her conquer a lot of fears, especially public speaking. Next month she will have to face another one as she is frightened of the ocean.

The 45-year-old volunteer assists with co-ordinating different group activities for communities in KwaZulu-Natal.

She said she wished to start many eco-projects and initiatives in her community as she lives near a game reserve.